"What the hell?" I murmured as we walked out of Urahara's shop. "What's happening?"

"Aizen," growled Shinji, shaking his head. "He decided to come here and destroy Karakura." He touched the hilt of his sword. "He brought the other two captains and some of his espada. Not only that, but five of the captains stayed behind to protect Soul Society." He frowned, looking around. "This is a terrible day indeed." He looked at Lisa. "Are you still okay?" she had a broken arm but that was all.

"Yes. I can still fight. And by the way, Hiroko lived up to my expectations," she added, glancing at me.

I felt myself smile slightly, and I looked away from them. Mashiro had left to go to the other visoreds. They were with the soul reapers instead of at the warehouse. My body was there, but why would I worry? There was a barrier around it and it wasn't like anyone was strictly out to destroy my body.

"I knew she would," Shinji nodded and punched me in the shoulder. "After all, I didn't want to go save your ass, Hiro," he chuckled.

"And I'm ready to fight again," I told him seriously. "I'm going to help you, Shinji. I'm going to prove-"

"-You don't need to prove anything to me," the older visored said. "But if you want to fight for Karakura town I won't stop you." He gave me a quick grin. "I'm going to rejoin the soul reapers. Lisa, I want you to come with me. Hiro, if you could check on the people you rescued one more time and then come, that would be great."

"No problem," I replied quickly, dipping my head in acquiescence. I turned and walked back into the shop, hand on my ribs. I was still able to fight but my ribs hurt pretty badly. At least I'd cleaned my face up already.

I walked back to where one older man was cleaning up the humans and watched for a moment. "Are they going to be okay?" I asked. A soul reaper was there as well. He was young, with medium length black hair.

"Oh-yes-they'll be fine," he stammered, smiling at me. "There's no need to worry, miss."

Giving him a smile, I bobbed my head once. "Okay. Thanks." I turned and walked back out of the shop. I was preparing to flash step to where I could sense a storm of spiritual pressure, but suddenly I heard a rumble to the west and turned my head in that direction. Then there was a cracking sound. What was that, I wondered.

Oh shit.

I realized what away what was that direction. The warehouse. And more importantly, my body. That shattering was the barrier. I felt like screaming as I took off at a terrifying fast flash step, hollowfying to make myself even faster. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a coincidence, right?

I stopped outside the warehouse and lifted my hollow mask. My face had paled with fear at what I saw. It was the blonde arrancar that I'd knocked out.

"It's about time you got here," he murmured, arms folded over his chest. "Master Nnoitra is waiting," he gestured with his chin into the warehouse.

I pulled my sword from my belt and ran inside, only to stop suddenly at what I saw. The fifth espada was there, standing over my body. Worse, he held his double crescent blade to my body's throat.

"What are you doing?" I screamed as I met his gaze. "You can't-"

"-Oh, but I can," he cackled. "That was a cheap trick you pulled on me, so let me return the favor." Without waiting he suddenly slit my throat. I felt a jolt and doubled over, my eyes wide.

"SHINJI!" I screamed, not knowing who else to call. I could feel him getting closer. "SHINJI!" What could I do other than watch myself die? I fell to my knees beside my body, completely ignoring the espada standing above me. My hands fluttered in front of me and I was completely at a loss. Somehow I figured that jumping back into my body was a bad idea. I looked at the arrancar again. "You can't-you can't do this-"

"-Funny, because it appeared I just did. I'd considered killing you for real, but this is much more entertaining. Tesra!" he yelled, opening a garganta. "We're leaving!"

The blonde arrancar walked back into the building, smirking at me. "It is unwise to fuck with master Nnoitra," he informed me, walking closer to the espada. "Perhaps now you understand your mistake-"

"HIRO!" Shinji was here. He ran into the warehouse just as a garganta opened and the espada stepped into it.

"Enjoy your death," he cackled before disappearing into it. Shinji had fell to my side, but I wasn't looking at my body anymore.

"Hiroko-I'm sorry-look-it's not a big-HIRO NO!" Shinji yelled when I lunged to my feet and sprinted toward the garganta. "NO!" he yelled, getting to his feet. The garganta was shrinking, and I barely made it through before it snapped closed behind me.

"I'm going to kill you!" I shrieked, jumping out the other side of the portal. I fell into the blonde arrancar, who fell to the ground under me. His eyes widened as I lifted my sword, but a sudden kick to my face knocked me off of the man.

I groaned and opened my eyes to see the fifth espada standing above me and frowning. "Stupid bitch," he growled, watching me sit up. My head was spinning and I felt nauseous. "You're really testing my patience. I swear that if you make one more move I'll kill you permanently." He swung his blade around so it was inches from my chest.

Feeling myself breathing hard, I stared at him with wide eyes. When I had been kicked I'd lost my sword, and now it was a few feet away from me on the sand. My eyes were wide as I stared upward at Nnoitra. Was he going to kill me? Well, kill me again? I was terrified. I actually felt like passing out, but adrenaline was coursing through my body.

"That's what I thought," the espada snorted, turning. "Come on, Tesra," he called to the blonde arrancar. The latter looked at me for a moment before turning and following his master. I watched them, and minutes later they had faded out of my view.

Now what was I supposed to do? I hadn't thought of the fact that there was no way for me to get home. I stood up and looked around, nearly falling back down from the pain in my head. He'd kicked me hard. When I bent down to get my sword I almost vomited at the nausea from moving too fast.

"I'm such an idiot," I muttered, looking around. The desert seemed endless in every direction. Was it? Was it truly endless? I shuddered. That was a terrible thought. In one direction I could see the shape of the palace-Las Noches-and knew that I was definitely not going in that direction.

With a sigh I started walking in the opposite direction. Things really couldn't be worse right now. My head throbbed and every step I took sent a bolt of nausea through my body. After no more than fifty steps I realized I needed to sit down. Finding a rock, I slid down against it, pulling my sword out from my belt and laying it at my side. "You're going to get through this," I murmured as I stared at the moon. Now that the excitement was over, a feeling of despair was overtaking me. Reaching up, I swiped a tear from my face. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to let myself break down.

That lasted all of the next thirty seconds. Then I bit out a sob and buried my face in my hands. I was dead. My body was gone and I couldn't return to it. What was I supposed to do now? I wasn't a soul reaper, and the visoreds were back in the world of the living. I was stuck in Hueco Mundo. If something didn't kill me within the next few days, hunger or thirst would. I wasn't a hollow, so I didn't subsist off of souls.

"I'm such an idiot," I grumbled to myself, leaning my head back against the stone. My face was dirty and tear tracks carved paths through the blood and grime. "I shouldn't have followed him." I felt my eyes closing as another pang of dizziness and nausea went through my body.

I wasn't sure if it was sleep overtaking me or my body just seeking rest, but either way it seemed I couldn't fight the feeling of blacking out. I was almost gone when I heard footsteps, but I figured it was my brain hallucinating. That or I was about to die.

"You shouldn't be sleeping here, princess," someone growled softly. "I would think that is common knowledge unless you're trying to die." Someone touched my jaw. "He sure beat the shit out of you," the voice remarked. I could barely hear him, and I certainly couldn't open my eyes. For all I knew, I was dreaming. "Maybe….was…..you." Now I could only hear every few words. I was dreaming, I knew, so I let myself slip into unconsciousness without any more struggling. My last thought was if I would wake up at all.